Bailey in California!
Oh wow, where do I start? First, thank you, CAdreaming, for all your help! James said I should have asked you to come down to Disneyland so we can buy you dinner for that. I really appreciated all the info?especially Disneyland. You?re a doll! Thanks again!

LOL this is going to be a Gracie type post?so exit now if you do not want to continue reading. Exit?ah, ?Freeways? on the brain.

Well it was -25 C when we left for the airport, stormy and blowing snow?we could barely see. We made it though and got all checked through?lucky me, the random passenger who gets a thorough check. Oh well, might as well experience the whole thing the first time out. :lol:

Well James and I were like little kids?first flight ever and did we ever enjoy it!! Landing in Minneapolis an hour later was great?it wasn?t as cold as Winnipeg. We grabbed some breakfast and made it to our next flight just in time?I believe Jesus carried us on the whole experience?things kind of just fell into place to make this the best vacation we have ever had?well actually the only one like this we?ve ever had. So we are finally off to San Diego... and to our delight we were able to see the USA landscape as we flew. We were thrilled!! We saw every thing from 39 thousand feet. Ok, keep in mind we are new at this?so everything is a thrill. LOL

We arrive in San Diego?HOT! Well for us?we wore winter clothes. We got to our luggage and there was the paparazzi waiting for us? LOL I am kidding it was an ABC weather guy interviewing people. I almost laughed when one lady complained about her 18 F weather. We had a chance to be on the evening news, but passed. We did see the broadcast later that night. We should have gone for it?I know our -40 F would have blown all their above 0 temperatures out of the water. LOL on TV the guy said they were having ?summer type? weather. James bursts out, ?What do you mean, ?Summer type? weather? Isn?t this a ?summer type? place??? LOL The weather was truly beautiful. People kept saying we chose a good week to come?we said, no, we serve a good God. I give him all the glory for the wonderful week we had, weather and all.

So now what? We knew there was a shuttle somewhere to take us to our car. We stepped outside and looked around and saw nothing, we were still in shock over this January weather?I have to say it was a first for both of us to experience weather like this in winter. This is our summer weather only.

Then James spotted the bus behind some trees. We went there?he boarded us and left right away. We got the car rental and the assigned us a car. James went and got it while I waited with our luggage. There was a big bus blocking my view?but I saw that a car had pulled up behind him because he was high off the ground and I saw the wheels of the car beneath. I knew it was probably James and went to look. I almost fainted when I saw him in a convertible. I thought surely there was a mistake!! I didn?t rent a convertible. He told me he said the same thing to the guy who gave him the car. The guy assured him that it was indeed the right car. Well, the whole trip changed for us at this point?no more saving gas on the brain. We spent most of our trip in that car! :lol: As I stood there in awe, I remembered something Gracie had said to me? ?Last time I splurged and got a convertible.? So I am extra excited to share this with her. ;)

So all the way to our hotel, we, like little kids in a candy store thanked God all the way there! We called home to put mom?s mind at ease?lol she tends to worry a lot.

We headed to the nearest liquor mart. (Well of course?it?s our first stop everywhere we go.) :lol: We got beer and brandy. Then we walked for about 2 miles, just to see our surroundings at a slower pace. It is such a beautiful city!!! We then decided to drive down to Mission Beach and watched the sun set over the ocean. How breathtaking!! I had decided I wasn?t going to take off my shoes and walk in the water. A guy offered to take a picture of us and a wave came along and made our shoes and socks all wet. Well, so much for that. We took off our shoes and socks and stepped into the ocean for the very first time. I shrieked because it was soooo cold. And I shivered at the nutty surfers out there. Once my feet started to go numb, the cold didn?t bother me, and we walked on the beach till the sun was completely set. Taking a walk on the sidewalk then, we soaked in all the sights and sounds?careful that the birds didn?t crap on us. :o

The next day, top down :D , we decided to head over to Disneyland to pick up our passes to all things fun. The Freeway!!!! Well one word describes that experience, Maniacs!! Where the hell is everyone going at 80 miles an hour??? Forget the hair! At 75 miles an hour, you don?t need a dooooo. Lots of Mercedes?, BMW?s and Toyota?s, everyone and his dog had a Toyota. :rolleyes:

We decided to try Knott?s Berry Farm first. I had never been at an amusement park, so this was an adventure for me. We decided to take the Silver Bullet first. Big mistake! After being twisted this way and that, and up and down, I stumbled off the ride, trying to figure out what was up and what was down. I decided then and there that that ride and I were parting ways forever. Ok it took me a while to get over the nausea and then we took on the Xcellerator. Oh we are brave...or stupid. LOL Well this ride excellorates 0-80 in I think he said 2.2 seconds?I might be wrong... LOL Ok? do not try to spit out your gum just as you are being shot out of a cannon. It will get plastered to your forehead!!!!!!!! :o Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to die. Then?we did it again. LOL

Feeling a bit less woozy than the Silver Bullet, I figured I could handle another?so we got on the Extreme Scream. I think that is what it?s called?it?s one that drops you 200 feet. Oh my goodness, I think at this point I was beginning to figure out me and these kinds of rides were not meant to be. It?s a good thing I have a strong bladder?.or else! We did this twice too. My husband looks at me, sweet guy, and told me I looked horrible. I believe he meant I was looking like I was about to barf. I think it was getting to be that way. I opted, wisely, not to go on any more rides. We decided to leave because we were both nauseous. We went to Fuddruckers. WOW what a huge burger. It was really good though and helped get over that nasty feeling. I couldn?t eat it all.

It was so hot. The car temp read 92 F as we drove through Los Angeles. The air was horrible?combined with the heat. Ick! How do people live there?? We drove all the way to Burbank and got off the freeway. We crossed a street called Olive Ave?I remember that cause I love olives. LOL We drove through the immediate neighborhood for a bit?really beautiful, so green for January! I am so not used to that! We got a drink and headed onto the 5 and took the 10 to West Hollywood. We saw the sign. LOL James goes, well, there, we saw it, now let?s get out of here. Well that was easier said than done?right in the middle of rush hour. Holy Cow!!!!!! I have never seen so many people trying to get where ever at once. It was clear after a while we should have rented bikes. I was amazed that they drove between cars! Nuts!!! :o

We headed south again and got to Oceanside. We had to put the top up at this point. It was getting really cold. At 8 pm we arrived in San Diego. Even though they do have smog there too, the air is definitely better? I thought anyways. After that hair rising experience?the freeway, we spent some time in the hotel?s hot tub to relax.

The next day we went shopping. An outdoor mall? That was really cool. We saw a movie and spent the day buying San Diego stuff. LOL I got a cool baseball cap. The guy at the car rental wanted to snatch it from me. :lol: funny guy!

On Friday we did a bit more shopping and then went to the Zoo. What a huge place. Lots of pigs! LOL It was tiring, but totally fun! I loved it.

Saturday we took a tour bus to Tijuana M?xico. Thank God we didn?t go on our own. Well needless to say it was a major culture shock for us. We are not used to people dragging us into their stores at the promise of 100% off. LOL which sounded great at first?till we realized it was marked at 300%!! Nuts! <_< One guy tried to sell me fake silver. I knew that silver has at least three stamps. His had only one. He tried his best. I was getting mad at him! He was relentless! <_< Later as I walked back to the bus, he tried to get me to stop again?I ran past him. LMAO at the Mexican "Zebras" donkeys. We ate dinner at a restaurant recommended by our wonderful guide. It was great! I love Mexican food, so this was a real treat. We went into this liquor store and they let us sample EVERYTHING! LOL we had a blast! That was fun! LOL We did buy Tequila from them for being so ? hick? generous. We all cheered when we got back to the USA.

Later that day, we went to Coronado to watch the sunset. A fighter jet landed at the airbase near by. It flew right over our heads. I thought I was going to be permanently deaf it was so loud. I have never, ever been that near to a jet like this before and it was a truly exciting experience.

Sunday we decided to stay in and watch football. We regretted that a bit. We wished we had gone to see more things. We did watch the first game then went down to the harbor and watched the boats and fishermen. The sunset was beautiful again! I saw a seal or sea lion, whatever you call them. It was fun to watch. We then walked a bit and headed to Anthony?s Fish Grotto to eat. A window seat right next to the water was a beautiful way to enjoy a good meal of steak and lobster.

Monday we headed down to Anaheim again. This time to Disneyland! During the fast and furious ride, I looked over to see a guy next to us picking his nose. Well that was ok, but to our horror, he then proceeded to eat it! Gross, gross, gross!!! Some people!

Disneyland was AWESOME!! We took on Jill?s wonderful advice and came with a silly sense of humor. It was great. The shops, the characters, the rides!! Jill, I think that Indiana Jones jeep driver is absolutely terrible. LOL It was such a fun ride. I loved it!! Then we took on Thunder Mountain?the mining one?I think. That was a blast as well. We stayed for 8 hours?we were wiped out. We saw the ?Billy Brothers? show?so funny!! And we wanted to take the bobsled ride, but were running out of time?.we had California Park to see yet and it was closing in an hour and a half. We had forgotten we had tickets to that too. I guess had we skipped the Winnie-the-Pooh ride we might have had time. LOL that was so cute and so not for adults?but we were kids that day and no one seemed to care. I was very impressed how organized the park was. Truly professional?you can?t even look confused without someone asking if you need help. LOL they must have lots of experience with tourists. LOL

The Hollywood Tower at California Park ? I still scream when I think of it! LOL Wonderful ride! We headed over to some Mexican place to eat. I LOVE Mexican food?so I was happy. Poor James?he went next door for a burger?we met and ate outside at some tables they had set up. He doesn?t know what he is missing!!

We drove back and headed for the hot tub! LOL That night, about three thirty am, I woke to some thumping. I was wondering what that banging was. Well I found out real soon. A woman suddenly starts to howl and the thumping got faster. They entertained us for a whole hour! We went under the covers and laughed so hard. James, he is so bad?he got a glass and held it against the wall?he only told me this the next day. He had been awake long before they woke me up. I was like?why didn?t you wake me?? He thought I might not appreciate being woken for that. I said ?are you kidding? this is a trip of firsts?I want to hear and see it all. LOL They next day we saw them come from the room. I was tempted to thank them for the entertainment?LOL

The next day we went to Sea World. We took the Rapids ride with two Chinese gentlemen?in khakis and nice shirts. One complained ?too wet? the whole time. That is all I understood. LOL it was clearly not his idea of fun. We had a blast!

The Dolphins were great and the Whales. We left the park wet. LOL Their 'Journey to Atlantis' ride was great?but you get wet! We headed back to the hotel and I grabbed a Mexican snack?again. LOL Ok, most of the time I didn?t understand a word they said?so when I asked a lady...why they had those carrots at every Mexican restaurant?she shouts to the front and immediately they placed a bag of carrots in with my order. I said ?ok, then.? I paid and left. LOL

Later that night, we went for steak at The Black Angus restaurant. They make great food!! We headed to Target to buy more luggage. We needed more for the things we bought. Nice store?but I like Wal-Mart better!

The next day we took the car back?tearfully bade it goodbye?LOL just kidding?and headed to the airport. We flew back and managed to grab food in Minneapolis before flying to Winnipeg. -25C I almost got back on the plane?almost.

My kids, they were so excited to see us. They threw themselves into our arms?I cried. Kids have a way of making grown people cry. Thank you grandma for staying with them the whole week!!

Well that was my trip, knowing me; I am sure I left out lots?and will think of them when no one cares anymore. LOL I have lots of pix, but its too much work to put them up tonight...maybe later. ;)

It was a great week, and I definately would go there again! :D

Weekend Fun
Mood:  chatty
Mike and I had a great weekend. We drove up to Amish Country on Saturday...through the charming towns of Sugarcreek and Berlin. Although it was the middle of winter, you can't miss the charms of those quaint towns. We ate at one of my favorite restaurants - Dutch Harvest. Their roast beef is unbelievable, and their famous dessert - Bag Apple Pie, with it's scrumptious sugar cookie crust - is absolutely delightful.

On Sunday we drove down to Circleville to celebrate Mike's mother's and brother's birthdays. LOL, they got Mike presents too even though his birthday isn't until late April. We said we hoped we'd be back before then! LOL. We visted with the kids...they are growing up so fast. Jonathan, our 14-year-old nephew, asked when he could come and stay. And 13-year-old Rebecca (his cousin) chimed in that she wants to stay the same time he does this summer. LOL, they reminisced about their past crazy times at our house...and said we owed them both a trip to play putt-putt (since Jonathan hurt his toe last time right before we were going to go), and a visit to the big local pool. Even Rebecca's friend Esther, who was there, wants to come! So we may have a houseful, especially if Becca's sister Elizabeth, 15, comes too. She went out to dinner with her boyfriend Nathaniel and his family last night, but stopped in to see us all first. LOL, I told the kids with all their names - Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Jonathan, Rebecca, and Esther, it sounded like we could be talking about Little House on the Prairie. LOL. I love old-fashioned names.

Congrats to Elizabeth, and my 16-year-old cousin Emily too, for qualifying for the district swim meet. Both girls swam personal bests, which is awesome. It was a great first year of high school swimming for them both!

It's back to cleaning today, and then work resumes tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Courtaney

February Fun
Mood:  happy
I swear, February is the most exciting month to teach school. We have Groundhog Day, followed closely by the 100th Day of School (a big celebration nowadays). Then there is Valentine's Day (and all the fun), and Presidents' Day (the kids love learning all about the Presidents!). Plus February is Black History Month (we learn a lot of history!) and Dental Health Month too...what could be more fun than a free toothbrush that is shaped like a whale? LOL. And we have our Super Citizens Beach Party tomorrow to boot. What a fun, exciting, and busy month.

I am enjoying my student teacher too. It gives me a bit of a break, but I also get to see things from the sidelines...and, oh, do you see things when you are sitting there! LOL. It'll help me be a better teacher too.

Courtaney

Happy New Year!!
Mood:  celebratory
I hope everyone out there had a terrific holiday season. And I hope you all have a wonderful 2005! Don't forget to keep those New Year Resolutions, now. LOL.

I enjoyed my time off from work. It was 5 days shorter than last year's break. Time sure flew! I have missed all the kids though, so it will be good to go back.

Happy New Year!!!

Courtaney

Merry Christmas!!
Mood:  happy
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! I will be traveling to my hometown today to have Christmas with my mom and sister and her family. Then it's back down there tomorrow for Christmas at my grandma's, Mike's mom's, and my aunt's. LOL, a busy time, but such a wonderful time too.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Courtaney

Buckeyes and Birthdays!
Mood:  celebratory
Go Bucks for beating Michigan on Saturday in the best darn rivalry in the land! LOL.

Happy 60th birthday, Mom (Nov. 21). You only look 48 tops. Too bad the Golden Buckeye card people didn't realize that. LOL.

And happy 86th birthday today, Nana! (Nov. 23). May you be blessed with many more!!

Courtaney

The Pumpkin Show
Mood:  happy
There's no better festival around than the Circleville Pumpkin Show. I went back home for it this weekend. Billed as the "Greatest Free Show on Earth," it lives up to its label. It is set on four main streets of my hometown of Circleville, plus a few side streets. Tens of thousands of people jam the streets for it. The food is awesome. LOL, I didn't try anything pumpkin, but they have everything imaginable, from pumpkin burgers to fudge, doughnuts, pie, ice cream, pancakes, pizza, and chili. It's famous for the world's largest pumpkin pie. This year, its top pumpkin weighed in at 1353 pounds. Talk about huge!! I got to see one of the terrific parades, and listen to a high school band perform, as well as a group whose lead guitar player was someone my husband and I went to school with. I bought some chocolate taffy and a few souvenirs. Mike and I had fun spending time with family. If you're ever in Ohio in October, check out the Pumpkin Show. LOL. It's downhome festivaling at its best.

Courtaney

Woohoo! Evian swept the SOD poll!
Mood:  celebratory
And they did it on my birthday! LOL. Way to go, Ben and Tracey!!

Their acting and Evian's love makes us all want to tune in everyday for the best in soaps.

Courtaney

Woohoo, fair break!!
Mood:  happy
It's great to be able to have a four-day weekend. We are going to head over to the fair today to see some of my school children's exhibits.

This was such a fun week in school. We celebrated Right to Read Week with a freedom theme. We had election day on Monday, and it was so funny! I had the kids write in their journals about who they had voted for in our mock election (Bush won hands down in our first grade classroom, 21-3. Bailey will be happy. LOL). Well, the way they illustrated the two candidates was just hysterical. One boy drew President Bush with one big eyebrow going across his forehead. One of my girls had him with purple eyes and these real long purple eyelashes. LOL. A lot of the children drew him with an Abe Lincoln style top hat. One boy had him in what appeared to be striped swim trunks. I suggested he had probably better put a shirt on him. LOL. And John Kerry wasn't left out of the humor. One of the boys who voted for him had him in orange and green pants...one leg orange and the other green! If only my kids could have dressed the candidates for their debate...LOLOL.

Courtaney

Back to school!!!
Mood:  special
This was my first week back at school. I have 26 students!! That is an awful lot for first grade, especially when I like to individualize things, such as reading. That is going to be hard to do this year. They are a sweet, friendly bunch, but they love to talk!! LOL. I was glad we were finally able to get settled in and get some work done this week. It's been a challenge so far, but it's good to be back!

We have no water at home right now!! Sigh. There was a waterline break and almost the entire town is without water. We are trying to cope by using the distilled water we had stocked up on in case of emergency. I am glad we have it!! Hopefully, we'll get our water back on soon!! LOL, otherwise, the principal told us teachers that live in my town that we can shower at the school on Tuesday when we go back. LOLOL.

Courtaney

Woohoo!!!
Mood:  happy
I can finally blog again! LOLOL. There are so many things I would have written about this summer if I could, especially my three wonderful vacations to Seattle/Vancouver, Manitoba, and LA. Seattle was my husband's vacation choice for the summer. It was so beautiful out there in the parks, along the coast, and in Victoria, B.C. It was a really fun trip.

Manitoba was awesome. I got to spend the week with Bailey, who was, of course, the perfect hostess. Her home is beautiful, and so large. She had it as clean as could be. Her farm was set in a really pretty area out in the bush. We had a blast visiting a Hutterite colony, an amusement park, and riding around on her ATV. She has the perfect place to ride. And I got to see her at work in a chicken barn, and try my hand at it! LOL, that was too funny. I was so much slower than she was. And she just had to show off her strength by crushing an egg in her hand. LOL. It got all over me! We had a lot of fun, and her kids are as cute as can be.

Then - LA, What can I say? It was gorgeous out there, but it was the fan event I will always remember. I got to meet Tammy, who was a great sport when we got her lost time and time again trying to show her around. LOL. We had fun picking up our packets at the studio, and seeing Brook and Steve Martin (we think) there, but best of all was the event itself. What a blast it was meeting the whole cast, but especially Tracey and Ben. Ben was so sweet, such a wonderful man. And Tracey was just awesome, so great to talk to. I am so glad I went.

It's been such an exciting summer. I have never had two vacations in a summer before, let alone three. I have enjoyed my 11 weeks off tremendously. Next week, I will have to go in and start getting the classroom ready again. I guess it's time! LOL.

Courtaney

I met Ben and Tracey!! Woohoo!!
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: 2004 Passions Fan Club Event
Wow! What can I say? The whole event was a blast!! We started off in line at about a quarter till 8, in the back of the House of Blues. It was valet parking for us all. At 7:53, Tracey started to pull into the parking lot behind us. Tammy spotted her. She was in a black Jaguar. She pulled against the curb and the attendant got ready to park her car. Some fan club personnel escorted her into the building. I got a picture of her back. LOL. She was dressed so nice, in a lovely black dress; she was stunning.

The only other person we saw pull in was Ben. He came at 8:10. We had moved up in line by then, but I spotted him through some bushes. He drove a gray Mercedes. Tammy is good at identifying cars. LOL. They have such nice ones!! He was wearing sunglasses, a brown sports coat, and jeans. He looked mighty fine! Both he and Tracey were there early. You could tell they were excited about seeing their fans.

We went in and got some free drinks. We looked at the auction items next. There was a picture of Josh and Ben that was so sweet. Ben had autographed it, saying how much he missed his little friend. It was very touching. McKenzie's infamous pit dress was among the other items up for auction.

We had good seats for the Q&A...everyone did. The cast came out and took their seats. Ben and Tracey sat beside each other in the front row. There were two rows of seats. The Q&A didn't last long. The first one was for Tracey. Someone asked if that was her singing, and went on to tell her she has a gorgeous voice if it is. She said in that case, it was her. LOL. Tammy got to ask one later on. She asked Tracey if the scenes of her past coming out were hard for her to do emotionally. Tracey said it was really difficult to just stand back and take all that with no malice. You could tell she wished she could have fought back! I took lots of pics of the cast, mainly Ben and Tracey, on the stage. I got some of them sitting down, some of each of them standing to say something to the fans, Tracey while she answered Tammy's question, and both of them as the cast lined up around the anniversary cake. I hope they all turn out!!

We watched a neat film of their 5 years of Passions. They showed everyone from the very beginning. They have all changed so much!! There was a blooper reel and a September to Remember spoiler part. The Evian stuff there was about their son. They didn't give away the secret though! Now, thinking back, I remember that they showed part of the love scene too, I think. It was hard to see on that screen though. At first I didn't know it was them!

We then waited in the autograph line for a long time. I was so nervous by that point. LOL. We got Silvana's, and then this guy called for Courtaney, and Tammy said, "He means you." LOL. I said, "No." She said, "I think he means you." I asked and the guy said, "No, you're Karen, " after reading my name tag. I said my computer name was Courtaney. He said Tracey wanted to see us. I think she was worried we might not get through the line. It was so sweet of her. She greeted us warmly. I remember a nice, welcoming hug (LOL, I think I was so in shock to even be over there then, that it took me a day to remember that!)...and we chatted for a little bit and then rejoined the line.

Everyone was so nice. I joked with Galen about betting on the Wolverines in the OSU/Michigan game, and told him I was a Buckeye. He signed my book "Go 'Canes" and made sure I saw that too! I talked to Andrea and Lindsay for a bit about their babies. Andrea said her little girl's getting so big. She is three months old. I asked Lindsay what color of hair Isabella has...was it dark like hers? She said that actually, it was Justin's color. I talked to James about his hometown, Lancaster, OH. I am from near there, and my husband was born in his town. He got on Galen for signing my book "Go 'Canes." LOL. James is as big a Buckeye fan as I am.

I got Amelia's autograph and then told her that someone had asked me on a message board for her signature, and she looked at me kind of funny. She probably thought, they are talking about me on message boards? LOL. But I explained how someone named Andrea really liked her acting. She was glad to sign one for her too.

By the time I got to Ben, I was already nervous. I said "I am Courtaney," and he said something like, "You're Courtaney..." in his wonderful voice that just makes you melt. He rose up and pulled me in for a hug and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He was soooooooo sweet!!!!! We talked about SD. He asked what happened to Bailey's recaps. (I told her you would miss them, Ben!) He didn't realize she has done them the last couple weeks though. Neither he nor Tracey knew about the temp board. Hopefully they will find it so they get to enjoy some of our crazy posts on there. I took a pic with him too. Well, between Ben and Tracey I was in a daze. LOL. The actresses in between pretty much passed my book along and signed it. They probably thought, "Who is this gal?"

I talked to Tracey for as long as we could. She was so grateful to all her fans, and to the boards. She asked about SD. Ben had told her it was hacked into. I told her we hope it will be up Sunday. She mentioned that it must mean a lot of work for Stefanie...rebuilding it. I said yes. The lady moving the line along finally made me leave! Tracey said she would find us later.

Eva was really nice. My husband spotted her and said, "Pilar!" I explained that he hadn't watched the show in a few years. She said he remembered the important people. LOLOL. She signed "You have good taste" as part of her autograph for Mike. I thought that was sweet!

Rodney was so funny. LOL, I caught up with my hubby again when Rod asked him how come people get quiet when they come to him. LOL. Mike said he heard about how people say they may "do a TC Russell." Mike remembered Tammy and me discussing what Teri had posted on here about how she told people at work the day she didn't want anyone to interrupt her watching Passions, that if anyone came into the conference room, she'd do her best interpretation of TC Russell. McKenzie then saw the shirt I was carrying, with Bailey's The Father Factor cover on it. She jokingly said to Rodney, "Uh-oh. You know who she likes." LOL. Rodney looked at the shirt, pointed toward it and gave a good joking grimace. It was funny. Then he tried to pretend that he was scaring me by sort of lunging at me. I jumped. When he saw it worked, he did it again. LOL. Then I had a pic taken with him and Mac and he pretended to strangle me. McKenzie was so beautiful and bubbly. She is so much more beautiful in person than on the show, and she is so lovely on it!!!

We then went to eat. The food was great. We sat with a nice girl we had met in line named Nicole. She was a big Passions fan, but didn't really go on sites or read mags. She was impressed when I told her I had a site. LOL, I said that my friend does all the hard work.

Tracey found us after the fans were all through the autograph line and the cast was going to eat. She sat down for about 20 minutes maybe and talked about lots of things...computer things and her fans. She wants to give back to the fans. She is such a wonderful lady, so appreciative of everything. She wanted to tell everyone how grateful she is to them and had a list all prepared of posters she wanted to give special thanks to but had left it at home. She did remember some of the names on it - SIPort, Gray, Dawn...but there were so many more she wished to thank. She is so appreciative of all her fans on here and elsewhere.

I remembered to tell her who told me to say hi too...Pris, Mav, pwtala. I tried to remember you all! Bailey, I still can't remember if I said you. But I got stuff signed for you, so you can't complain!!!

We talked about Secret Desires and Evian Dreams. She said she has trouble seeing the slide shows and montages at ED. It may be because she has a Mac. Hopefully, she'll be able to watch them someday. I know she really liked the slide shows from last fall, but if she could see Bailey's montages... we all know how they really touch your heart.

It was one unbelievable day. I am so ecstatic about meeting Tracey and Ben. They are such wonderful people. I told Tracey before she left that it is their wonderful acting that has us all so into this story. She was touched by that. Tammy and I got our picture taken with her before she left. It was sweet. You couldn't ask for a nicer, friendlier actress. She really puts her fans first. Both of them are super people. She and Ben are the truly best. And the whole cast of Passions is so warm and welcoming. What a bunch!! What a day!!!!!!

....................................................................................................
..........

I want to thank both Tracey and Ben for giving me wonderful memories of this year's fan club event. I'll never forget your kindness and the appreciation you have for your fans. Thank you so much for the cheerful welcome, warm hugs, and kind words. And Tracey, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to talk to us about how you want to give back to your fans. Thanks, both of you, for making it such a special day for me, my friend Tammy, and my husband Mike. We had so much fun! I always knew I loved Evian for your terrific acting and chemistry, as well as the beautiful story. But now I can honestly say that I love Evian too because of the wonderful people who portray them. Thank you so much!!

Yay!!!
Mood:  celebratory
I graduated yesterday! I finally have my master's diploma in hand after almost two years of work.

We had a fun trip to Detroit. Four of us drove with our husbands/families, caravan style. We stayed on the same floor of a huge hotel there. Driving around the city wasn't too bad. I got to learn a lot about the history of some special projects going on there during the graduation ceremony. It sounds like there are a lot of people who care about the community.

Woohoo to finally being done! I was so exhausted after graduation, I fell asleep at 7:15 and slept until 3:30 a.m. LOL.

Courtaney

Yay to finally getting rid of those computer viruses!!!
Mood:  happy
It's great to finally be able to get back online!! Although I could get into some things on this site at school, the blog and our site manager pages were blocked by our filtering system, and of course I couldn't see any of the videos! I couldn't get onto Coffeerooms at all (although maybe that wasn't such a bad thing - LOL.) At least I could visit Secret Desires a few times during all this mess. Eleven days would have been so hard to take completely cut off from the net and our gang of Evian fans and friends. Thanks so much, Bailey, for keeping me up to date! LOL, you are the best!!

And as for these worm starters - I say, they deserve more than a slap on the wrist and a cushy job offer. But, at least they did make everyone aware of a flaw in the operating systems. It could have been someone far more sinister taking advantage of that weakness, I guess. Thank goodness that was not the case. Still, a boyhood prank this wasn't. We learned our lesson here. We will never be without a firewell again!

It's so good to be back!!!

Courtaney

Mother's Day
Coming up this weekend. My husband plans on taking my kids out to find me something nice he says. It should be a lot of fun to see what they come home with. :)

This morning, he woke me up and told me not to bother getting out of bed, he'll do my chores. I thought he was messing with me...lol he said, no, its for Mother's Day. So I slept some more! :)

Thank you, James!!

How to Get in the Game
Mood:  happy

by: John MacArthur

When I played college football, my coaches constantly drilled our team with the admonition: "Play your position!" They had to repeat it often because when we saw the play develop toward another place on the field, we were tempted to dash over and try to tackle the guy with the ball. About that time the play would reverse direction to the spot we had just left.

One of our best players was very aggressive and often strayed far from his position. He was all over the field tackling people, and invariably the wrong ones. Finally, he was benched. Though he was a good athlete, he proved worthless to the team because he wouldn't stick to his position.

Since we all tended to make the same mistake, the coach would take us back to the locker room to draw the plays on a chalkboard. He would first make everyone's position plain to see, and then he'd explain how the plays were supposed to run. There's a parallel to that in Christian experience. God has put you on His team and given you both the resources and the obligation to "play" your position in the Body of Christ. He has given you spiritual gifts for carrying out your assignment.

Your first obligation as a Christian is to learn about your position in the Body of Christ. You've got to study the chalkboard, so to speak, and see where you stand; see who's on either side of you, who's behind you, who's in front of you. Unfortunately, many Christians don't know how to live, partly because they don't know their position. I want to draw your position on the spiritual chalkboard so you can be an effective player in the game.

Basically, God's gift of salvation in Christ brings a believer into a position of righteousness. God imputes the perfect righteousness of His Son to the believer, and thereby declares him righteous positionally. But as you know full well, believers still have sin in their lives--Christians are not practically righteous, 100 percent of the time. However, it is on the basis of our positional righteousness, that we are exhorted to strive for practical righteousness in our daily lives.

If you can set your personal struggle with sin aside for a moment, I want you to consider what the Bible says about your position in Christ. As a Christian you are: spiritually alive unto God, dead to sin, forgiven, declared righteous, a child of God, God's possession, an heir of God, blessed with all spiritual blessings, a citizen of heaven, a servant of God, free from the Law, crucified to the world, a light in the world, victorious over Satan, cleansed from sin, declared holy and blameless, set free in Christ from the power of sin, secure in Christ, granted peace and rest, and led by the Holy Spirit.

You're probably thinking, "The Bible may say all that, but I sure don't always live up to those descriptions." That's why in the New Testament, for every one of those statements about your position, there is a corresponding practice you're to follow. For example, the New Testament tells you:
- Since you are spiritually alive to God, live according to that new life.
- Since you are dead to sin, don't give sin any place in your life.
- Since you're forgiven, count on that and don't go through life feeling guilty.
- Since you've been declared righteous, live righteously.
- Since you're a child of God, act like one of God's children.
- Since you are God's possession, yield to Him in humble submission.

I'm convinced that if you will honestly study your position in Christ, your life will change. You'll understand that failure in some aspect of Christian living doesn't mean you lose your position. The position of a true Christian is settled forever--it's unchanging and permanent. And on the other hand, just as stumbling won't change your standing for the worse, growth won't add to it for the better either. God's favor doesn't depend on your works. God "has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity" (2 Timothy 1:9).

Positionally, you cannot increase or decrease in the favor of God. As a genuine Christian, nothing you do, or fail to do, can change to the slightest degree your perfect standing before God--for "in Him you have been made complete" (Colossians 2:10).

Thankfully, that completeness does not mean that when you understand your position you will remain as you are--no, you will see changes in your life. The New Testament continually emphasizes your identity as a believer and urges you understand and apply your spiritual resources. As you continue to mature in Christ, you will not only come to a greater understanding of who you are, but you'll also rely more consistently on your resources--those granted to you as a result of your position in Christ--to handle the practical aspects of Christian living. That's the thrust of Paul's appeal in Ephesians 4:1: "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called."

So what about you, Christian--do you know your position? If not, go back to the locker room and study the chalkboard--your Bible--and you'll discover afresh the joy of who you are in Christ. If so, get in the game, play your position, and become in practice what you already are in position.


Bailey

Happy birthday, Mike!!!
Mood:  lyrical
Happy birthday, sweetie! :)

Thank you for mowing our terribly tall grass (it's rained for days) on your birthday and day off. You are the best, and I know I don't tell you that often enough!

Love,
Karen

The meaning of Life
There is a place in every man's heart that only Jesus can fill. You can try to fill it with material things, or anything or anyone that turns your head at that moment, but in the end, when the 'newness' wears off, you will find that void is still there.

But when you give it to Jesus, suddenly everything makes sense, the air is fresher, the birds sing sweeter, and the nasty neighbour suddenly isn't so bad anymore...you have a purpose in life, you have found meaning to life...Jesus Christ himself! Give him a chance!

Bailey

We are being spoiled!
Mood:  lazy
What beautiful weather we have had here in Ohio the last four days! It has mostly been in the seventies, nice and breezy...just perfect weather. Yesterday, though, it was 84 degrees! That is the normal high in July. It has spoiled us all for summer, I think. I love it! My husband and I have been enjoying our screened-in porch. He likes watching birds, and just bought a bird bath yesterday. He was upset that the birds didn't find it yet. LOL, I saw a big gray squirrel in one of our bird feeders just a little while ago. I think he is feeding the furry little critters around here more than the birds! LOL.

Courtaney

Go Evian!!!
Mood:  on fire
Wow, those spoilers we heard yesterday have me giddy. LOL. While I am a bit leery of the one that says the results of Evian's attempts at satisfying their desires won't be pretty, I am just thrilled that they are attempting something, and that Eve seems to be the one to initiate this. Go Eve!! :) I can't wait for May!!

I really need to go do chores now...but who wants to do laundry and pick up stuff when you can read about Evian? LOL.

Courtaney